A week after I was outed, my boyfriend disappeared. I came into contact with one of his friends and discovered that he'd come out to his parents a few months before he met me, and they'd kicked him out, so he'd begun living on the streets. He'd disappeared because he'd passed away.

I wanted to try out for the basketball team. When the girls on the team heard about this, they began to taunt me, saying, "You're gay. You can't be on a girls' team." But one incident in particular changed my entire high-school career.

As an openly gay student, I have faced adversity in many forms, from students and school administrators alike. Bullying from students is common, but when it comes from the administration, it becomes downright dangerous.

Because we believe so strongly in equality, Blake and I, along with our allies at YETA, decided that change at our school alone was not enough. There are LGBT young people all over Orange County, Southern California, and the entire state who need help standing up for their rights.